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Dial-up, WiFI and EVDO
Dial-Up
For all intents and purposes dial up is dead. Let's face it, 64 kbps is not fast enough to survive in today's media rich Internet environment. Plus, where are you going to find a phone jack to plug into in the middle of the woods? Although still used by some, I do not consider this a viable option.
WiFi
WiFi is an excellent solution for Internet connectivity and anyone can find free or cheap connectivity at most campgrounds, coffee shops, hotels, travel stops as well as other places. If you are an occasional Internet user while traveling, then WiFi is probably the perfect solution for you. Almost all laptops that are made these days have built in wireless, so getting connected is cheap and easy.
In addition to 802 11 (b, g, a or n) wireless options, there are many companies that are installing new long distance WiFi technology in rural areas to offer users new ways of getting connected to the Internet where cable and DSL are not available. Although this is promising technology that is sure to expand traveler’s options in the future, nationwide coverage is still limited and standards don't exist yet.
Cellular - EVDO
EVDO stands for Evolution Data Only or Evolution Data Optimized. To get connected to the Internet all you need is an EVDO card that plugs into your laptop and a monthly service plan from either Verizon or Sprint. As of the writing of this article the cost was approximately $59.99 a month for service...not bad!
(Verizon EVDO Card)
EVDO is capable of DSL like speeds of 500k-800k and there are currently two revisions of EVDO - Rev 0 and Rev A. The differences are as follows.
- Rev 0 - 400Kbps - 700Kbps downloads with bursts up to 2Mbps. 50Kbps - 100Kbps uploads with bursts up to 144Kbps.
- Rev A - 450Kbps - 800Kbps downloads with bursts up to 3Mbps. 300Kbps - 400Kbps uploads with bursts up to 1.8Mbps.
If you are purchasing an EVDO card, make sure it is compatible with Rev A. Most are, but it can't hurt to ask to and make sure.
One of the advantages of EVDO is that you can use it while you are actually moving in a vehicle. If it is important for you to be able to work while you are actually driving (hopefully you are the passenger) then this is your solution. Since EVDO uses cell phone technology, it will remain connected as you travel just as a cell phone does. The disadvantage to EVDO is that it is reliant on the cell phone infrastructure which means that if you cannot get cell phone service you will not get access to the Internet through EVDO. In addition, EVDO is not available everywhere that cell service is. So even if you can get cell service, it does not guarantee that you will get EVDO service or the service may be degraded. Similarly, if you are an avid outdoorsman, chances are that the rural areas where you would like to camp will have no coverage or limited EVDO service at best. EVDO is spreading quickly, but mountains and valley's tend to get in the way and it is not always economical for cell phone companies to offer coverage in these areas
Another limitation of EVDO is that it does not work overseas and has limited connectivity in Canada and Puerto Rico. For information on coverage areas you can check Verizon or Sprint's websites. Some of the links are provided below:
Verizon EVDO coverage list by city...click here
Verizon EVDO map & locator...click here
Sprint EVDO coverage list by city...click here
Adding an Cell Phone/EVDO antenna
If you are one of those campers that like to get away from it all and you camp in places where cell phone service is unavailable or limited then there may still be hope. By adding a cell phone antenna you can greatly increase the signal strength you are able to receive. In some fringe areas an antenna is enough to make the difference between having connectivity or not. These antennas are generally pretty cheap and can be found on the web for approximately $60 - $150. There are several antenna's available so do your homework. One of my favorites that has gotten good reviews by other users is the Wilson Trucker Antenna (tall antenna on the right) which is what I purchased to enhance our cellular connectivity (not Internet). The Wilson antenna can boost your signal by 10-15db. In addition we also added a cell phone signal repeater/amplifier to further boost the signal. By adding a repeater/amplifier you can increase the distance that you can receive a signal by an additional 50 miles.
Just remember that by adding these two pieces of equipment you are still not guaranteed to get a signal in remote locations. Mountains and valley's have a way of trapping and blocking signals no matter what equipment you have.
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(Common EVDO Antenna Boosters)
EVDO and WiFi Combined
One of the biggest problems with early EVDO adopters was the desire to share their Internet connection with others. Since EVDO cards fits into a single laptop (at a time), connectivity was limited to the person using the laptop. If you were somewhat computer savvy you could find a way to share the connection using Windows and a local WiFi network however, for the average user this was still too complicated. Along came the EVDO router to solve the problem. An EVDO router is a device that accepts your EVDO card and has integrated 802 11x WiFi so that you can share the connection with several users. The EVDO card connects to the Internet using cellular technology and then multiple users can share the connection using 802.11x wireless connectivity. If you are able to setup wireless access at home, then you should have no problem getting this solution to work for you also.
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(Two popular EVDO routers - Linksys WRT54G3G (left) and the Kyocera KR2 (right))
EVDO Summed Up
EVDO is solid technology that is affordable. For the vast majority, this solution is the best. I have been using EVDO for several years in the IT industry and it just keeps getting better all the time. Although I rarely see 400Kbps - 800Kbps download speeds, I usually do see at least 200Kbps and often more, which is more than sufficient to get my work done. The only disadvantage to EVDO is that you are still limited to areas where you can get EVDO coverage. Similarly, although EVDO coverage is expanding, it is still mostly available in metropolitan areas only. I know that in many of the forest areas where we wanted to camp, EVDO was not available. Therefore, we needed something better, something that would guarantee us connectivity to the Internet ANYWHERE in the US.
